Bruce Arians the interim head coach of the Indianapolis Colts celebrates as he walks off of the field following the 30-27 over the Green Bay Packers in the NFL game at Lucas Oil Stadium on October 7, 2012 in Indianapolis, Indiana. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images) / Getty Images

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Bruce Arians and his wife, Christine, had just headed back to Pittsburgh to retrieve the last of their furniture from their home last winter. The longtime offensive coordinator had been fired by the Steelers for reasons everybody is still trying to figure out, and now he was preparing to get his stuff and drive back to Georgia for a life of early retirement and perpetual golf.

"I was at peace," Arians recalled Monday, less than 24 hours after one of the most emotional days in Indianapolis Colts history, a 30-27 victory over the Green Bay Packers. "I could play golf every day."

Three hours into the drive, he got a call from the Colts' newly named coach, Chuck Pagano.

Retirement?

Christine Arians could see that look in her 60-year-old husband's eyes. They had already moved 13 times during a typically itinerant coaching career. No. 14 was on the way.

"She just looked at me and said, 'Oh, (bleep),' " Arians said. "She said, 'I haven't seen you this excited in a couple of years.' Chuck asked me, 'Are you retired?' I said, 'I don't know, what are you calling about?' We talked, and the thought of getting a bunch of young kids together, a young quarterback, it got the juices flowing again."

Days like Sunday are why Arians decided to hold off on a life of perpetual golf. Days like Sunday, when a team of brothers comes together and plays above its talent level, a day when a team becomes a family and dedicates its heart and efforts to a fallen leader.

In a career filled with memorable moments, including Super Bowls, the 20-year assistant coach knows he will never again have one that quite compares.

"No doubt," Arians said. "These kinds of days don't come around that often. I was in the parking lot talking to (assistant special teams coach) Brant Boyer and we talked about exactly that. 'Man, this is what makes it all worthwhile.' "

There's a good reason Arians got a game ball along with Pagano, and it goes well beyond the fact it was Arians' first victory as an NFL head coach. Simply, he did a masterful job managing his team's emotions, guiding them through the lows of last week's news of Pagano's leukemia diagnosis and shepherding them to the inspiring highs of Sunday afternoon.

There's nothing in the coach's manual that tells you how to lead a team who has just learned its coach is in for the battle of his life.

"He kept it real with us," punter Pat McAfee said. "He was emotional. He didn't try to hide it or try to come off like some tough guy. He said, 'Listen, here's the deal, it's a sad situation and now we have to rally around Chuck.' He treated us all like men."

He gave them time to cry for Pagano, or however they chose to grieve over the situation. He told them "snot-bubbles and tears" were OK for one or two days. And then he brought them back together Wednesday and rallied them.

How did he manage emotions?

Arians smiled.

"I had to manage my own emotions first," he said.

Arians, who everybody simply calls "B.A.," isn't looking at this as a rehearsal for a future head coaching gig. He is here now to be a caretaker of Pagano's message, to imprint Pagano's stamp on this team and not his own.

But . . .

If the Colts do well, if they do better than most of us expect, he wouldn't mind if his name came up when jobs come open.

But he's not holding his breath. He has never even gotten an interview, which is stunning for someone with his resume.

"Yeah, I've been surprised I didn't get any calls," he said. "I thought my best chance was at Cleveland (after the 2002 season). That was the year we had Pittsburgh upset and blew the game. And I think we would have beaten the Raiders the next week because of the matchups. I think that's when I would have gotten my shot.

"And after Super Bowl 43 (when the Steelers beat the Arizona Cardinals in 2009), I was a little disappointed I didn't get a phone call."

So why hasn't Arians, who was the coach at Temple from 1983-88, gotten that phone call? He has looked in the mirror and wondered, but not for very long. He has a major weakness; he's bluntly honest. He even said Monday that Andrew Luck is more advanced than Peyton Manning after one month of their respective rookie years. That's a question most coaches would tap-dance around, lest they upset Manning or encroach on sacrilege.

"Yeah, I think I can be too honest at times," Arians said. "Sometimes owners don't want to hear the truth about things. Sometimes general managers don't want to hear it. I understand that. But this is who I am. I'm not going to sugar-coat things."

No, he won't.

And he hasn't, even as an interim head coach.

Whatever happens -- whether he earns a head-coaching shot or stays on as the offensive coordinator -- he will always have Sunday.

"Usually, you can't sleep after a loss," he said. "After winning, I couldn't sleep, either."

My guess is, he wasn't alone.

Bob Kravitz is a columnist for The Indianapolis Star. Call him at (317) 444-6643 or email bob.kravitz@indystar.com. Follow Bob on Twitter at @bkravitz.